Stepney Folk

Shipwrecks and Pirates

It was the nature of the Stepney community, being situated near the country's main port and on the Thames, to be involved building, manning and provisioning ships.

Many of its sea faring inhabitants went to sea never to return, either perishing in shipwrecks, deserting or taken as slaves. A few given up as dead were discovered alive many years later.

Edward Fenton, in 1582, sailed from Blackwall to China. A Spanish ship was captured off Brazil and on board he found Richard Carter from Limehouse who had been abroad for 24 years. Four years later a ship's pilot, Abraham Cooke of Lee was found on a Portuguese ship which had been captured.

In 1583 James Hellier and Richard Morris of Blackwall sailed to Tripoli and saw Christian slaves as did James Welsh in 1588 on his journey to Benin.

In 1635 Captain William Bushell (died 1637) commanded the 'Neptune', a ship of 400 tons, 32 guns and 160 men. He had been employed to redeem captives, taken by pirates, at Algiers. On his way home, with 30 freed captives, he and another captain, Thomas Scot of Ratcliffe, were fined at Dunkirk for 'presuming to wear their flags in full view of the Fleet.' This was, apparently, an open insult to the 200 ships who, perhaps, were smarting because they should have taken care of the pirates in the first place.